Media Release

MLA Wage Review – Patronization or Consultation?

EDMONTON, AB - When the Alberta government announced on Nov. 30, 2011 that the Honourable John Major would be conducting an independent review of the compensation and benefits provided to the Members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, the Alberta Party was pleased that all Albertans would have an opportunity to provide input.

Since that late November announcement, Albertans have been subjected to a consultation process that has been less than promising. To date, three out of seven of the consultation dates have been cancelled. According to government sources, they have been cancelled due to low enrollment.

In Red Deer, one single ad ran in the Advocate on January 21 for a February 1 consultation. On January 26, five days after giving this public notice, people who registered were told it had been cancelled and they would have to attend the Calgary event. Similar notices and cancellations happened elsewhere as well.

“Proper public consultation includes doing due diligence in letting people know, in a timely fashion, how they can participate,” says Alberta Party Leader Glenn Taylor. “Advertising once and then cancelling five days later is not acceptable.”

The MLA compensation review has all the appearance of a government going through the motions so they can say they consulted with Albertans, while not providing enough notice or opportunities for people to actually engage.

“The people of Alberta are smarter than that,” says Taylor. “They know the difference between being patronized and being heard.”